Exposing children to cigarette smoking almost doubles the chances of stroke-causing plaque build-ups, researchers say.
Tasmanian scientists said it was the first time a direct link between childhood exposure to cigarette smoke and the build-up of plaque in the arteries had been proved.
The confirmation of the link has researchers warning that children exposed to cigarettes in their childhood are more likely to develop heart disease, which can lead to stroke and heart attack.
Menzies Institute honours student and research paper author Henry West said children exposed to cigarette smoke had double the chance of having the stroke-causing plaque later in life.
“Children who have been exposed to tobacco smoke during their adolescent years are almost two times more likely to have clotted plaque in their adulthood, so this is 20 years later,” he said.
Dr Seana Gall, Menzies Institute senior research fellow and co-author, said the presence of the carotid plaque was a good indicator of increased risks.
“We know that when these develop they can become much thicker and even block off the artery over time, and having these in your arteries is known to predict whether or not you go on to have a stroke or a heart attack later in life,” she said.
The Tasmanian-led study looked at more than 3,000 people in Finland, and the information was analysed in Hobart.
Children were tested for exposure to cigarette smoke in the 1980s and then tested for plaque build-up over the next 20 to 30 years.
“What we’re showing really for the first time is that this exposure in children to passive smoke is having a long-term effect on their cardiovascular health and this is a really important message to get out there,” Dr Gall said.
The paper found that children who were exposed to tobacco smoke in closed spaces were four times more likely to develop plaque in their arteries.
“And what we found was that parents that exercised really good smoking hygiene, their children didn’t have clotted plaque in adulthood or had less levels of it,” Mr West said.
The study is continuing.